This invention pertains generally to the field of collapsible incubators, and in particular collapsible incubators for neonatal use.
An incubator is an apparatus that is typically used to maintain various environmental conditions suitable for a neonate or newborn baby, and in particular those infants that are born prematurely or those that need additional support to survive. These infants battle to regulate their own body temperature and do not have sufficient fat stores on their body to stay warm.
However, whilst these neonatal incubators are readily available in hospitals throughout most of the Western world, they are cumbersome to transport for use in the field, and are an extremely expensive apparatus, making them unfeasible for use in developing countries.
There are various forms of incubation that an incubator may be required to perform to help support an infant to develop and grow in a safe environment for the best chance of survival. An incubator, in its most basic form, comprises a shell into which an infant can be placed, that protects the infant from their surrounding environment. This shell shields them from extremes of temperature, draughts and other environmental conditions, whilst minimising infection by limiting their exposure to germs, bacteria and infectious diseases. The shell prevents the ingress of dirt and other detritus that may affect their respiratory airways, whilst also preventing over-handling by carers and other personnel.
There are numerous additional functions that can be added to a basic incubator module to provide additional support to the infant contained therein. The infant may be supplemented with oxygen through an oxygen supply means or mechanical ventilation means. The apparatus might include measuring means for various vital signs such as heart beat, breathing rate, temperature and blood pressure and other measurable bodily functions such as brain activity, blood oxygen levels and cardiac performance. The incubator may include means to provide an effective climate control within the shell to keep the infant at the required temperature. The incubator may also be supplied with nutritional support means through an intravenous catheter or suchlike, to help with administering medications and to help the infant to remain hydrated.
Neonatal transport incubators provide a similar infant support apparatus when away from a hospital-type environment. They typically provide very similar functionality, just in a transportable form. For an example, a transport incubator might include a miniature ventilator, cardio-respiratory monitor, intravenous therapy pump, pulse oximeter and an oxygen supply means, or any combination of these.
However, whilst these transport incubators would be extremely sought after within the developing world and in disaster relief situations throughout the world, they are an extremely expensive item and the cost renders them unavailable in such areas. Access to incubators is limited by both cost and distance, and millions of premature and sick infants die each year through deaths that may have been prevented had they have had sufficient care. The apparatus that is currently available within these areas is not cheap enough, nor is it sufficiently portable.
The prior art shows a number of devices which attempt to address the needs in various ways.
GB 2,450,392 (Drager Medical AG) discloses an incubator with an inflatable and collapsible hood. The heat therapy apparatus comprises a bed area with an inflatable hood for covering the bed area, whereby the inflatable hood is provided with a plurality of inflatable, tubular support elements with interposed plastic sheets. The plastic sheet may be double-walled to provide insulation to the space contained within. The intention is to provide the structural features of an open care infant bed with the benefits of a closed incubator, by providing an inflatable hood to fit over a typically infant care bed. Whilst this document discloses an inflatable shell, which is therefore collapsible, the bed portion is not designed for this purpose. The resulting incubator is therefore not designed for portable use.
CN 201,591,700 (Lifang) discloses an inflatable bed for a premature infant. This inflatable bed is designed to create an artificial uterine cavity, provided with an inflatable cushion. This device is intended for use within existing incubators, and therefore is not a portable alternative to the incubator itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,896 (Medical Concepts Inc) discloses an inflatable housing to enclose a volume of atmosphere for use as an incubator or oxygen tent. This inflatable housing is intended to replace the rigid framework or housing of incubators to allow for ease of storage within a hospital environment.